Defining and Creating Course Objectives

Course objectives represent the overarching purpose of the course. They speak to the general course goals and frequently link the goals to the summative intention of the program in which the course is located. By definition, objectives speak to changes that will take place as result of successful completion of the course; as Ralph Tyler (1949) noted, “Since the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform certain activities but to bring about significant changes in the students’ patterns of behavior, it becomes important to recognize that any statement of the objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students.”

Here are three examples of statements containing course objectives:

Cold War History: The purpose of this course is to improve students’ understanding of the Cold War, how it shaped the present, and to improve students’ historiographical and literacy skills.

The Psychology of Physical Rehabilitation: The purpose of this course is to prepare students for internships and their professional roles as physical therapists, to deepen their understanding of the psychological complexity of recovery, to improve students’ communication skills, and to foster empathy for patients.

Middle Management in Corporate Environments: The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with various types of corporate environments and with current theories about what constitutes effective middle management in those environments, and to train students to recognize when models of practice might be appropriate in one environment and not another.

Course objectives are dynamic as they may be adapted to changes in professional practice in the field, shifts in the developmental needs of students, and revisions of departmental standards. Course objectives ideally embody the consensus of a given faculty on what foundational knowledge and competencies are essential for the course. (Diamond, 2008).

Defining and Creating Course Outcomes

Course outcomes articulate course objectives. They are behavioral in nature as they represent activities students will perform that demonstrate their understanding and ability to apply procedures, think critically, comply with requirements, effectively communicate ideas, recall vital information, synthesize knowledge, and learn independently (Tyler, 1949). Course outcomes identify the things students will do in order to meet the course objectives.

Here is an example of course outcomes based on the example of statements containing objectives from Cold War History (above)

Students will identify the origins of the Cold War and trace the chronology of major Cold War events from 1917-1991

Students will compare and contrast the ideologies and agendas of capitalism and communism as articulated by various scholars and statesmen

Students will describe the essential differences between the traditional, Marxist, and revisionist schools of historiography and apply their knowledge to the interpretation of Cold War events

Students will describe the long-term effects of the Cold War in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East

Students will conduct independent research and compose a thesis paper that illustrates their ability to properly use and document sources

While this is not an exhaustive list of course outcomes, it exemplifies activities crafted to meet the course outcomes.

Course outcomes do not always originate in the university. As preparing college students for employment in a given profession requires curriculum that is aligned with standards of practice in the field, course designers often turn to the field for guidance. Professional standards in the field may be translated into course outcomes (Benner, et. al. 2010); for example: curriculum developers in a school of nursing may want course outcomes to be aligned with the Quality and Safety Education for Nursing (QSEN) competencies as promoted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2013).

The complexity of course design may increase as instructors incorporate competencies from a variety of sources and as instructors integrate outcomes reflecting declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conditional knowledge as illustrated in the table below.

Table 1: Types of Knowledge and Sample of Outcome Reflecting the Type of Knowledge in a course on Botany

Knowledge Type

Description of Type

Outcome Reflecting Knowledge Type

Declarative

Regards facts and information foundational to understanding a subject or concept

Students will define photosynthesis, identify the parts of a tree, and identify the benefits of cultivating certain plants in urban spaces

Procedural

Concerns knowing the steps necessary to complete tasks such as problem-solving, operating technology, and organizing research

Students will demonstrate the proper way to gather, preserve, classify, and archive pollen samples

Conditional

Refers to knowing when and under what conditions a specific procedure, idea, strategy, technique or principle might be appropriately applied

Students will evaluate the benefits and detriments of conducting invasive studies in forests that are fragile or endangered

The complexity of course design may also increase as designers incorporate outcomes aimed at improving students' metacognitive skills (Kaplan, et. al., 2013; Richhart, et. al. 2011; Anderson, et. al., 2008; Amundsen, et. al. 2004). As Table 2 indicates, metacognitive skills can be cultivated in a variety of ways. Because metacognition is not directly observable, instructors often assess student improvement of metacognitive skills by reading or listening to what students have to say about their own experiences which may be captured in journals, reflective essays or surveys.

Table 2: Metacognitive Skills and Strategies to Cultivate Them

Knowledge Type

Description of Type

Outcome Reflecting Knowledge Type

Declarative

Regards facts and information foundational to understanding a subject or concept

Students will define photosynthesis, identify the parts of a tree, and identify the benefits of cultivating certain plants in urban spaces

Procedural

Concerns knowing the steps necessary to complete tasks such as problem-solving, operating technology, and organizing research

Students will demonstrate the proper way to gather, preserve, classify, and archive pollen samples

Conditional

Refers to knowing when and under what conditions a specific procedure, idea, strategy, technique or principle might be appropriately applied

Students will evaluate the benefits and detriments of conducting invasive studies in forests that are fragile or endangered

The complexity of course design is also impacted by the level of cognitive activity instructors want to stimulate and develop. Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives (Anderson, et. al. 2008) offers course designers a “template” for integrating higher level thinking skills. In the original taxonomy. Bloom identified six types of cognitive objectives; in ascending level of complexity they are: knowing, explaining, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. As illustrated in Table 3, Blooms Taxonomy can be used as a template for developing course outcomes.

Table 3: Bloom's Taxonomy and Samples of Outcomes in a Course on Public Health